Volunteers give up their time to help improve town

Sheila Armstrong

A GROUP of Whaley Bridge volunteers have been giving up their spare time this summer to spruce up the town.

Whaley4Wards is a community group set up by Whaley Town Council in 2011 to identify and implement small projects across the four wards of Whaley Bridge, Furness Vale, Taxal and Fernilee.

In July, eight volunteers transformed the children's play area on Jodrell Road by giving all the equipment a new coat of paint. They also repainted the Canal Street railings, as well as the railings down the side of Footsteps Cafe.

Besides brightening up the town and making it a more pleasant place to live, the group are also responsible for around a 100 large poppies which appeared on lampposts in Whaley Bridge and Furness Vale at the beginning of November. The poppies celebrate the centenary of the ending of the 1st World War and have been sponsored by individuals and local businesses, with all the proceeds going to the Royal British Legion.

Chairman Jon Goldfinch said: "Our volunteers span a wide range of ages and backgrounds but we all share a passion to improve the town we live in." Anyone who wants to became involved with Whaley4Wards or who has any ideas for small projects around the town centre, should email w4w.whaleybridge@gmail.com